noun
durian
DOOR-reern
noun
1
A large tropical fruit from Southeast Asia, covered in a thick, spiky husk, prized by fans for its rich, custard-like flesh but notorious for its overpowering smell.
"Many hotels in Southeast Asia ban durian because the smell lingers for days."
"She insisted the durian tasted like sweet almond custard once you got past the odor."
2
A deep yellow color, similar to that of ripe durian flesh.
"The kitchen walls were painted a warm durian yellow."
How to Use Durian
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA spiky Southeast Asian fruit famous for smelling terrible but tasting (to fans) amazing.
Common mistake
People often assume the smell means it has gone bad — durian smells strong even when perfectly fresh and ripe.
Common pairings
durian smell
ripe durian
durian fruit
Word Forms
durians plural
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Many hotels in Southeast Asia ban _____ because the smell lingers for days.
Etymology
From Malay durian, built from duri ("thorn") plus a suffix — a nod to the fruit's spiky shell.